Michigan

Marine City football team battles through taxing playoff run to reach Friday's Division 4 title game against Grand Rapids South Christian

Marine City's Jarrett Mathison (No. 11) runs against Lansing Sexton in the semifinal round. The Mariners seek their second state title in program history Friday night at Ford Field, as they take on defending Division 4 champion Grand Rapids South Christian. (Brandon Howell | MLive.com)

Even for a program as playoff-experienced as Marine City, this week marks a new frontier.

The 12-1 Mariners, who have made the postseason 29 times in the past 30 years, will play the latest football game in school history when they battle Grand Rapids South Christian for the Division 4 championship Friday night at Detroit's Ford Field.

While Marine City has been this far before, winning the 2007 D-4 state title and finishing runner-up two years ago, November 25 is the latest date on which the Mariners have donned pads and helmets. That occurred in 2011, a 45-7 loss to Zeeland West in the final.

Marine City will suit up on the 29th this time, with the hopes of dethroning the defending D-4 champion. Although the Mariners' record is gaudy, they haven't had the smoothest ride to the final, as each of their four playoff games has been decided by 14 points or fewer.

Their latest victory was a 12-7 decision over Lansing Sexton in last week's semifinal at Ortonville. The Mariners fell behind 7-0 in the second quarter on a blustery afternoon, but rallied back on a pair of short scoring runs by senior Tait Sapienza.

Despite the taxing nature of Marine City's postseason, coach Ron Glodich said his team is remarkably healthy as they prepare to face South Christian (12-1).

"Every one of our (playoff) games has been physically challenging," he said, "but South Christian is probably the best bunch of athletes we've seen all year. The whole group is very talented and they have a great reputation and coaching staff."

The Marine City defense had a resurgence last week, limiting Sexton to 166 yards and few drives of significant length. It was the fourth time this season the Mariners had allowed seven points or fewer, but it hadn't happened since Week 6.

Conversely, last week was the first time all year Marine City didn't score at least 27 points. Led by junior quarterback Alex Merchant (1,600 passing yards) and the running back duo of Sapienza and Jarrett Mathison, the Mariners have averaged 39 points per game. Sapienza, who rushed for 183 yards in the semifinal, has over 1,200 yards on the season, while junior Mathison has 1,150 to go with 30 touchdowns.

"We're a run-first type of team," Glodich said. "We'll try to establish that first (against South Christian), but in games like these all you can do is try. You never know what you'll be able to do until the game starts."

Two Mariners remain from the 2011 state finalist team, wide receiver/defensive back Pete Patsalis and offensive lineman Kevin Fitzsimmons. Both are senior captains, and they've conveyed to their teammates what to expect on the big stage this weekend.

"They've got a great job all year," Glodich said. "They've helped the other kids understand they've got to stay focused on business and avoid distractions."

Marine City has made the playoffs 16 straight seasons, the past two under former offensive coordinator Glodich. Last year's postseason ended with a pre-district loss to Richmond, but the Mariners have won at least a district title in 11 of the past 14 seasons.

They clinched this year's district crown with wins over Marysville and Richmond before downing Detroit Country Day on a last-minute touchdown in the regional round.

"A lot of our coaches have stayed together for many years," said Glodich, who is in his 27th season on the Marine City staff. "I think that's part of the reason for our success."

All that's left for Marine City this year is the final game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Friday. South Christian is a proven foe, but Ford Field isn't a foreign environment for the Mariners, either.